NJBIA Urges Senate to Pass Ban on Third-Party Tax Appeals

The New Jersey Business & Industry Association today urged the Senate to vote to prevent property taxpayers from challenging the property tax assessments of nonprofit organizations in their county.

Under the bill, S-2212 (Singer, R-30), individual taxpayers would only be allowed to appeal the tax assessments on their own properties. Any challenges about the tax-exempt status of individual nonprofit organizations could only come from the local government.

“Many organizations like hospitals, educational institutions and charities could be severely damaged by third-party tax appeals because they operate on such thin margins,” said Mary Beaumont, NJBIA vice president for Health and Legal Affairs. “Should they lose a tax appeal case, they may not be able to stay open, and entire communities would be deprived of the services they depend on.

“Local governments are there to represent the interests of all taxpayers and are the ones that should be designated to take up such cases,” Beaumont said.